Governance Effectiveness
A friend of mine who’s a colorectal surgeon in a city far from my home in Utah told me a fascinating story recently about how colonoscopies are performed in the hospital where he practices. He said he’s done over 22,000 colonoscopies without a single bowel perforation, and he regularly gets calls…
Trustee talking points
The vast majority of the nation's hospitals and health systems do not have a nurse on their board.
Adding nurses to boards adds diversity and a broader range of perspectives.
Nurses' experience and skills lead to boards making more effective operational, financial…
Board chairs are often chosen based on peer respect, professional knowledge, demonstrated commitment such as chairing a board committee, and willingness to put in the time required. A somewhat surprising finding to emerge from the AHA’s 2011 Governance Survey is that conflict management is an…
Trustee talking points
Hospitals and health care foundations have been operating in a favorable charitable environment.
Prospects could change in the face of greater financial volatility and transformation in health care.
Hospital and foundation boards need to take a balanced…
It takes a special kind of person to volunteer to serve on the board of an American hospital these days. As we’ve noted here innumerable times, health care is in the midst of a top-to-bottom transformation. While we don’t know precisely how the dust will settle, we do know, without a…
Many board members at local, independent hospitals have expertise in a wide range of industries, but they often do not have specialist skills in governing hospitals in today’s rapidly changing health care environment. Because health care management continues to grow in complexity,…
A chance moment kick-started Eugene Woodsâ career as a health care leader more than 25 years ago, and a simple health careârelated accident tha...
The 2017 American Hospital Association Annual Membership Meeting offers trustees an excellent opportunity to gain perspectives that will help us continue to advance health in America. The meeting, to be held May 7-10 in Washington, D.C., will feature some of America’s most…
Trustee talking points
Philanthropy is growing in importance as health care transforms toward new models.
The most crucial time in an organization’s life is the transition from one CEO to another. But while considerable time and attention are given to the mission and vision of a company, this often isn't the case with CEO-transition planning. Such planning is particularly needed in…